Opportunity Lost

When I got the news first hand, my altruistic side came to a sudden decision: I will volunteer myself for a day of blood-letting. I arrived at the venue at exactly 10 am, the scheduled start of the blood-letting program partly spearheaded by a local television network in partnership with Go Tong Foundation. I thought I would be the earliest among the early birds, but I was totally wrong. When I saw the number of people relentlessly queuing right in the middle of the mall's activity center, I was gripped by the fact that many faces are still responding to heaven's urge to do simple yet selfless deeds. Nonetheless, I'm also fully aware that some of them are there either because of curiosity or just to get the freebies. But I was standing there driven by my sense of compassion and my medical knowledge regarding the art of blood-letting. The procedure per se is not just a way to reduce our body's store of blood but to stabilize our cardiovascular system. A study suggests that bloodletting, which lowers the level of stored iron in the body, may reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, this benefit is the one I wasn't able to achieve this morning. I failed the initial screening due to the fact that I'm currently undergoing a 6-month long medication therapy for my mild tuberculosis and I felt so stupid for I wasn't able to foresee that this might happen in the end. Of course, the antibiotics that I ingest will be absorbed by my blood and the concentration that remains in my system might be hazardous to a potential receiver. Nonetheless, I accepted the rejection in a positive way and looking forward for other opportunities for making a difference in the future ahead. I know God appreciates my willingness to share myself to others and although I have lost an opportunity, there's always enough room for a second chance.

King Tut: A Solved Mystery of Egyptology

King Tutankhamun, the famous "boy-king" who once reigned Egypt during its golden years, died of malaria and broken bone complications according to latest scientific discovery which will be published Wednesday in Journal of the American Medical Association. This discovery will surely enlighten the old speculations that the young king ( who, by the way, became pharaoh at the shocking age of 10) was murdered when he died at around 17-19 years. The hole in King Tut's skull was revealed through a CT scan last 2005 to be the result of the mummification process, ruling out the possibility of a foul play. And being an archaeological mystery fanatic myself, I can't help but marvel towards the extraordinary ability of advanced forensic science to decipher age-old secrets like what they found out about this young pharaoh's mysterious life and death. Be it old Hollywood mysteries, secrets as old as Cleopatra, name it and I'm in to it. I don't have the skills of an expert sleuth but I do have a natural curiosity inclined towards solving mysteries . And every time a news like this spreads to the world wide web, my attention and concentration will suddenly merge. Back to the original topic, the study, which is co-authored by Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass, also constructed a firmer version of the young king's genealogy. It pinpointed that King Tut was the son of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the ruler known in history for revolutionizing Egypt's religion by introducing one god (Aten) and replacing it's old tradition of worshipping multiple gods. King Tut's mother, on the other hand, happened to be Pharaoh Akhenaten's sister which proves that incest was common during that period in history.Sadly, the incestuous marriage didn't work for King Tut's advantage, especially to his health. Dr. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, said some of King Tut's ailments including his bone disease likely were the result of his parents' incestuous marriage. This will prove the value that genetics has in our modern world. It reveals not only the possible outcome that parents who are closely related to each other can bring to their future offspring but also the falsifiable myths behind the sarcophagus of famous mummies like King Tut. Maybe this discovery will be enough to give a conclusion to the world's speculations surrounding King Tut's short life and early death but I think otherwise. Science is a very dynamic organism that's why theories arise every now and then, disproving each other until one rises victoriously.And that's what I find interesting about mysteries- - -it has an aspect of immortality. We never stop finding clues until all our questions are fully answered. Life is a mystery but unlike other existing mysteries, it's not meant to be solved but to be appreciated.

Love/Hate Being Single

It's the season of loving, kissing, and dating but I'm still single. Well, I've been single for the longest time so I'm supposed to be comfortable of that fact. But being single since birth sometimes give you enough time to contemplate of what could have been if I have a reason to celebrate the season of love. In the first place, I have God, my family, and a handful of friends that will suffice me to celebrate but I'm pertaining to a different kind of love; The type that will make me blush and activate my cardiovascular system for good. Ever since I decided to stay single, I made it clear to myself that career and family are the top two priorities of my life. But as a human being, it is safe to say that a natural longing for intimate relationship was intricately embedded in our genes. It is during this time that I get the chance to think about my possible options in the near future. I can meet someone special and nurture this relationship or stay single and make the best out of my career. Whatever the outcome will be, I think my own happiness will matter above all. I choose to stay single because of convenience. I don't have to worry about financial burden, stress, and extreme time limitations that one will get upon entering a serious relationship. In addition to that, I prefer spending my time achieving professional and personal growth rather than wasting it with a money-reducing partner. But I admit that sometimes being single for so many years now has its own downside. I don't get the chance to mature emotionally as I haven't experienced how to be involved in a romantic commitment. There's no way for me to appreciate romantic movies because I would love to label myself as a hard-working isolate than a hopeless romantic. But as I said earlier, being single is all about personal choice. I choose to be single and will stay to be one as long as I feel it to be convenient. On the other hand, this decision should not completely be based from the principle of pragmatism. Whatever decision we make in life,as long as we are happy for it and we think that its the one that will work best for us, nothing should be worried about. Life is all about choice, happiness, and above all, love. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!